Hall of Fame

There's no question that Samantha Bingham has made a mark on the Windy City since she stepped into the role of Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition's coordinator more than a decade ago. Thanks to her strategic approach and go-getter attitude, Bingham has carefully honed the coalition's reputation as the go-to resource for fleets, fuel providers, community leaders, and other stakeholders seeking to secure and manage grants for projects to reduce their petroleum use.

Bingham is an Environmental Policy Analyst for the City of Chicago and has served as the coordinator for the Chicago Clean Cities Coalition since 2006. Since assuming the role, she has helped increase Chicago's petroleum displacement three-fold by acquiring millions in grants to fund major game-changing alternative fuel vehicle and infrastructure projects in the area. Bingham was instrumental in organizing and implementing a $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project, which deployed more than 400 alternative fuel vehicles, installed fueling infrastructure at nearly 200 locations, and increased the number of public natural gas stations from 1 to 10 in Illinois. She also helped secure $15 million in CMAQ funding for the city's Drive Clean Chicago program. Thanks to the program's funding, approximately 44% of all taxis—more than 3,000 vehicles—in the Chicago area are now hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.

Bingham was inducted along with two other coordinators who lead the Lake Michigan Consortium—a collaboration between Wisconsin Clean Cities, Chicago Area Clean Cities, and South Shore Clean Cities—in a team recognition. Together, the Consortium has established alternative fuel corridors along I-90 and I-94, as well as created alt-fuel hot spots in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Gary and South Bend, Indiana. The Consortium has also been highly successful at replicating each other's alt-fuel vehicle programs and creating training centers across all three regions.

Since Carl Lisek signed on to lead the South Shore Clean Cities Coalition, his passion, undeniable charisma, and ability to forge relationships have helped propel the coalition into the program's top ranks.

Lisek serves as vice president of Legacy Environmental Services and holds the role of executive director for South Shore Clean Cities Coalition. His wife and co-awardee, Lorrie, serves as president and co-owner of the nonprofit and is the executive director for Wisconsin Clean Cities. The couple has been with the Clean Cities program since 2006. Among his various accomplishments, Lisek hosts a green commuter radio program highlighting local clean transportation activities. He has also started the Northwest Indiana Green Fleet program, which aims to significantly improve the environmental performance of the region's business and government vehicle fleets through diesel retrofits and other strategies.

Lisek was inducted along with two other coordinators who lead the Lake Michigan Consortium—a collaboration between Wisconsin Clean Cities, Chicago Area Clean Cities, and South Shore Clean Cities—in a team recognition. Together, the Consortium has established alternative fuel corridors along I-90 and I-94, as well as created alt-fuel hot spots in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Gary and South Bend, Indiana. The Consortium has also been highly successful at replicating each other's alt-fuel vehicle programs and creating training centers across all three regions.

With more than a decade of sustainable transportation experience, Lorrie Lisek has proven herself a crusader for embracing alternatives to gasoline and diesel. Lisek's grit and sheer resolve has since earned her the respect of colleagues, state and local officials, and fleets.

Under her leadership, the Wisconsin Clean Cities Coalition more than doubled its petroleum displacement in 2012 alone. Lisek has also solidified her coalition by growing membership four-fold since 2009 and substantially increasing its stakeholder base. These actions have helped ensure multiple project successes, including overseeing a public education and outreach for a $32 million project to deploy 280 alternative-fuel and electric-drive vehicles and associated fueling and charging infrastructure. The four-year project, managed by the Wisconsin State Energy Office, included 31 partners from the public and private sectors. She has also been instrumental in developing the Wisconsin Smart Fleet Program and organizing a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) task force for PEV planning in the state.

Lisek serves as president and co-owner of Legacy Environmental Services and holds the role of executive director for Wisconsin Clean Cities. Lisek's husband and co-awardee, Carl, serves as executive director for South Shore Clean Cities based in Indiana. The couple has been with the Clean Cities program since 2006.

Lisek was inducted along with two other coordinators who lead the Lake Michigan Consortium—a collaboration between Wisconsin Clean Cities, Chicago Area Clean Cities, and South Shore Clean Cities—in a team recognition Together, the Consortium has established alternative fuel corridors along I-90 and I-94, as well as created alt-fuel hot spots in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Gary and South Bend, Indiana. The Consortium has also been highly successful at replicating each other's alt-fuel vehicle programs and creating training centers across all three regions.

When it comes to Clean Cities coordinators, Jonathan Overly is a rare triple threat—possessing the right combination of sheer determination, profound enthusiasm, and a dogged ability to identify how something can be done better and acting on it.

Overly founded the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition in 2002 and has managed it since its inception. He has become recognized as a visionary during his 13 years at the helm by consistently bringing new ideas to coalitions, industry, and the Clean Cities program for achieving petroleum reduction. Some of these efforts include facilitating statewide fuel discussions via natural gas and propane task forces, developing an educational biofuels webinar series, and leading a truck stop electrification project to install 50 electrified and HVAC-supplied truck spaces at a major travel plaza. Overly's coalition was also actively involved in creating the country's first biofuels corridor, which made it possible to travel from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., south to Miami, Fla., by refueling with either E85 or B20 the entire trip.

While the transportation leader has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to see his coalition achieve success, his efforts are not one-sided. Whether building valuable partnerships with stakeholders or mentoring countless other coordinators, Overly has proven he is invested in making sure others succeed as well.

Mark Bentley has been the executive director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition (ACFC) since August 2006. Along with fellow hall of fame inductee Phillip Wiedmeyer, Bentley has led efforts to build an alternative fuel industry in Alabama, leveraging public-private partnerships to implement ethanol, biodiesel, propane, natural gas, electric vehicle, and hydrogen infrastructure projects in Alabama. Bentley and Wiedmeyer have helped shape policy in Alabama to lower barriers to alternative fuel adoption, including creating low-interest loan programs and tax reform for natural gas. In 2013 alone, ACFC eliminated more than 3 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs) of petroleum and nearly 12,000 tons of CO2.

The Clean Cities dynamic duo have also excelled in building a strong and varied stakeholder base that includes local businesses, colleges, municipalities, and non-profit organizations and ensures that stakeholders across the state stay informed through workshops and frequent email newsletters. In the short years since the coalition was designated, the pair has facilitated dozens of grand openings, workshops, webinars, and civic engagements.

Phillip Wiedmeyer has been the president of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition (ACFC) since 2002. Along with fellow hall of fame inductee Mark Bentley, Wiedmeyer has led efforts to build an alternative fuel industry in Alabama, leveraging public-private partnerships to implement ethanol, biodiesel, propane, natural gas, electric vehicle, and hydrogen infrastructure projects in Alabama. Wiedmeyer and Bentley have helped shape policy in Alabama to lower barriers to alternative fuel adoption, including creating low-interest loan programs and tax reform for natural gas. In 2013 alone, ACFC eliminated more than 3 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs) of petroleum and nearly 12,000 tons of CO2.

The Clean Cities dynamic duo have also excelled in building a strong and varied stakeholder base that includes local businesses, colleges, municipalities, and non-profit organizations and ensures that stakeholders across the state stay informed through workshops and frequent email newsletters. In the short years since the coalition was designated, the pair has facilitated dozens of grand openings, workshops, webinars, and civic engagements.

Since 1998, Yvonne Anderson has served with unwavering focus and perseverance in the deployment of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles in central Oklahoma. One of Clean Cities' longest-serving coordinators, Anderson has proven innovative and resourceful in helping Oklahoma fleets and other stakeholders to implement strategies to cut petroleum use.

While at the helm of Central Oklahoma Clean Cities, Anderson has been a true pioneer for alternative fuels. She helped open the state's first municipally owned biofuels station, first publicly accessible E85 station, first multi-fuel alternative fueling station, first municipally owned public-access natural gas station, and first municipal electric vehicle charging station. In 2012 alone, Central Oklahoma Clean Cities saved more than 3 million gallons of petroleum under Anderson's leadership.

In 2004, Anderson was named Denver Region Coordinator of the Year.

Rita Ebert puts her whole heart into the Clean Cities mission of cutting petroleum use in transportation. Well loved by fleet managers, local officials, vehicle manufacturers, and fellow coordinators, Ebert's warm, gregarious nature has been a critical driving force behind the success of the Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition (GLICCC) since she signed on as the coordinator in 2007.

Ebert facilitates and coordinates the efforts of more than 400 stakeholders on Long Island. In 2009, GLICCC and 13 project partners were awarded $15 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, matched by $20 million from project partners, to deploy more than 150 natural gas vehicles and five fueling stations. The project is now serving as a catalyst for new transportation deployment efforts, as other organizations are able to take advantage of increased availability of fueling infrastructure. Ebert has made substantial contributions to the national Clean Cities program through her work on the Clean Cities Coordinator Council.

Ebert was named Northeast Region Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year in 2009.

Richard Battersby speaks the language of fleets better than most, and he takes every opportunity to let fleet managers know how they can reap the economic and environmental benefits of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. Battersby has himself served as a fleet manager for sizable fleets in the public and private sectors for more than two decades. He currently oversees the fleet at the University of California at Davis, the UC system's largest campus, whose fleet sustainability efforts have garnered national attention and praise.

Battersby became involved in the East Bay Clean Cities Coalition in 1998 and took the helm as coordinator and executive director in 2004. In 2011, the coalition saved more than 9 million gallons of petroleum. In 2012, Battersby helped Waste Management develop fueling infrastructure to power refuse trucks with landfill gas from the Altamont Landfill in Livermore, California. Battersby is a natural collaborator, having worked closely with other Clean Cities coalitions in the state to coordinate large-scale deployment projects involving biofuels, electric vehicles, and other alternative transportation fuels and technologies.

Lee Grannis brings exceptional energy, dedication, and technical knowledge to the deployment of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles in Connecticut, throughout the Northeast, and nationally. With a background in military transportation logistics and alternative fuel vehicle sales, Grannis launched the Greater New Haven Clean Cities Coalition in 1995 and took over as coordinator in 1997.

For more than a decade, this retired U.S. Army veteran has been instrumental in introducing new technologies and fuels into Connecticut's transportation sector. Under Grannis' leadership, the Greater New Haven Clean Cities Coalition helped deploy electric trolleys in New Haven's public transit system and catalyzed the development of the city's first compressed natural gas fueling station. He has aided entrepreneurs in jump-starting the manufacture of electric buses and electric vehicle charging equipment. In partnership with the three other Connecticut Clean Cities coalitions, Grannis serves as the lead on the $29 million Connecticut Future Fuels project, which is deploying 269 alternative fuel vehicles and supporting fueling infrastructure, including the first liquefied natural gas station east of the Mississippi.

Grannis was named the Northeast Region Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year in 2004 and 2008.

Colleen Crowninshield doesn't take no for an answer—especially when it comes to reducing Arizona's dependence on petroleum. In more than a decade of service as the Tucson Clean Cities Coalition coordinator, Crowninshield has been a tireless advocate for alternatives to gasoline and diesel. She was instrumental in bringing the first biodiesel, compressed natural gas, and E85 fueling stations to her state. And she is playing a critical role in preparing Arizona for the arrival of electric vehicles.

Crowninshield consistently uses her boundless creativity and unmatched media savvy to train the spotlight on her cause. Twice a month, she appears on a local talk radio show, Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream, to discuss environmentally friendly transportation options. In 2009, Crowninshield conceived and executed a plan to transport the nation's 85-foot-tall Capitol Christmas Tree from Arizona to Washington, D.C., using biodiesel, with nonstop media coverage along the way. In 2005, she initiated an annual day-after-Thanksgiving grease recycling event in Pima County, through which community members drop off cooking grease to be turned into biodiesel. Crowninshield thinks outside the box and turns innovative project ideas into tangible Clean Cities successes.

In 2005, Crowninshield was named Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year.

It's hard to find an elected official in Utah who doesn't know Utah Clean Cities Executive Director Robin Erickson. From the capitol building in Salt Lake City to the state's smallest rural towns, Erickson has rallied spirited support for clean transportation. She has inspired mayors to champion idle reduction, spurred fleet managers to embrace alternative fuels, and helped the governor's office tackle vehicle emissions.

Since Erickson signed on as Utah Clean Cities' coordinator in 2007, she has more than tripled the number of stakeholders in the coalition. She draws on her experience as a former fleet manager to help fleets tackle technical challenges and successfully navigate their way to petroleum savings. Erickson established a program that has trained more than 3,000 Utah school bus drivers in idle reduction practices, and she has played a vital role in substantially growing the state's natural gas fueling infrastructure and the number of natural gas vehicles on the road. Erickson approaches her work with a profound commitment to making Utah a vibrant and healthy place for future generations.

Kevin Herdler has been a leader within Clean Cities since the program's beginning, when he served as a highly respected fleet director for a county government in Atlanta in the mid-1990s. He joined forces with St. Louis Clean Cities (SLCC) in 1998 and became its coordinator in 2001, guiding the coalition to reduce petroleum use by millions of gallons each year.

Herdler's successes spring from his dogged determination and deep technical knowledge, most notably in the heavy-duty vehicle arena. His expertise with big rigs and every vehicle in the city fleet yard have been indispensible for dozens of public and private fleets as they have pursued idle-reduction measures and transitioned away from diesel to fuels like natural gas and biodiesel. Herdler is widely known as someone who can take the best-laid plans and make them even better. Both a model and a mentor to his Clean Cities peers, Herdler is always eager to share his knowledge and experience with new coordinators as they learn the ropes.

In 2010, Herdler received the Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year Award.

Melissa Howell is a cornerstone of Clean Cities. She has been with the program since its beginning in 1993, when she helped found the Kentucky Clean Cities Partnership. Ever the consummate professional, Howell's dedication to reducing petroleum use in transportation has weathered all manner of political and economic conditions. Howell is known for her persistence in inspiring fleets to action, and she brought several high-profile stakeholders to the alternative-fuel table, including Mammoth Cave National Park, Fort Knox military base, UPS, and the World Equestrian Games. And thanks to Howell's leadership, thousands of children across the state of Kentucky ride to school on hybrid electric and biodiesel buses.

Howell is the original Clean Cities mentor, having coached new coordinators to success long before a formal mentorship program was established. She is always willing to share her vast experience and knowledge with other coalitions to reinvigorate stalled projects and instill confidence in rising leaders. Howell's impressive body of work with Clean Cities makes her the example other coordinators seek to follow.

In 2008, Howell was named Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year, and in 2005, she received the Southeast Region Award.

Chelsea Jenkins took the helm of Virginia Clean Cities in 2005 as a staff of one. During her tenure, Jenkins grew the coalition in both size and influence, overseeing seven staff and managing multi-million-dollar transportation projects. Under Jenkins's leadership, Virginia Clean Cities projects spanned the gamut of alternative fuels, from retail biodiesel stations, to natural gas transit buses, to electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Jenkins's passion and commitment to the Clean Cities mission won her widespread respect at the statehouse, in the nation's capital, and among her peers. In 2008, Jenkins was elected by her fellow coordinators to co-chair the national Clean Cities Coordinator Council, which she helped strengthen into a vital resource for the program.

In 2009, Jenkins received the Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year Award.

Mindy Mize continually raised the bar on what it meant to be a Clean Cities coordinator, a role she performed from 2002 to 2012. Mize helped to develop and implement scores of successful transportation and air-quality policies and projects, including widespread use of hundreds of natural gas vehicles and hybrids by Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The coalition's petroleum savings totaled nearly 12 million gallons in 2010 alone.

Mize's leadership in the deployment of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles extended far beyond the boundaries of her coalition. She was a constant source of support and guidance for her fellow Texas coordinators. In 2008, she was elected by her peers to co-chair the national Clean Cities Coordinator Council. In that capacity, she helped transform the council into a vibrant forum for coordinators, providing training, resources, feedback, and communication with Clean Cities program staff. She was instrumental in the establishment of Clean Cities' coordinator mentorship program, and she was highly regarded by new coordinators and seasoned veterans alike for her leadership, deployment savvy, and vision.

Erin Russell-Story has breadth of experience and depth of knowledge that make her a crucial contributor to Clean Cities' successes. Russell-Story began her involvement with Clean Cities in 1997, when she signed on as the first coordinator for the Northeast Ohio Clean Cities coalition. She led the organization for four years and oversaw its path to official designation by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In 2001, Russell-Story led the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition (which she also guided to DOE designation), where she received national recognition for her creative and diligent efforts in the deployment of alternative fuel vehicles. After her time with Vermont Clean Cities, Russell-Story spent several years as an independent consultant for a wide variety of transportation-related projects and programs.

Russell-Story joined the national Clean Cities program staff at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in 2009 as a regional manager, overseeing large-scale transportation projects in multiple states and providing support to more than a dozen coalitions. Her technical expertise and long history with Clean Cities have proven invaluable to program staff and coordinators alike.

Russell-Story received the Clean Cities Outstanding Coordinator Award in 2003.

Sam Spofforth became the coordinator of Clean Fuels Ohio when the coalition formed within the City of Columbus Health Department in 1999. He became the coalition's executive director when it spun off as a stand-alone nonprofit organization in 2002. Since then, Spofforth has guided the coalition's growth to include seven full-time and seven part-time employees devoted to the Clean Cities mission, with the support of more than 160 dues-paying members.

Today, Clean Fuels Ohio is among the top Clean Cities coalitions in total petroleum savings, through efforts across Clean Cities' portfolio of strategies. In 2008, Clean Fuels Ohio launched Ohio Green Fleets, a landmark program that engages and educates hundreds of fleets across the state. The program has certified dozens of green fleets, averting thousands of tons of emissions. Clean Fuels Ohio has developed an active government affairs program, grants development and management, public education, and other innovations that are Clean Cities models.

Spofforth is widely recognized as a leader and expert in the deployment of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles across Ohio and nationally. He serves on the Columbus mayor's Green Team and was appointed to the Advisory Council for the Ohio Environmental Education Fund.

In 2007, Spofforth was named Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year. In 2004, he received the Chicago Region Award.

When it comes to reducing petroleum use in transportation, Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition (TC4) is unmatched, thanks in large part to the leadership and energy of Coordinator Lisa Thurstin. Between 2005 and 2009, TC4's efforts saved a staggering 135 million gallons of petroleum—more than any other Clean Cities coalition in the nation.

Thurstin, who became TC4's coordinator in 2007, is well known for collaborating with stakeholders on clever and imaginative campaigns to advance the use of cleaner, alternative fuels. TC4 worked with the Minnesota Vikings to promote E85 to thousands of football fans through radio and Web advertising, free stadium parking for flexible fuel vehicles, and a Vikings E85 road trip to Chicago's Soldier Field. And it's not unusual to find Thurstin and her TC4 colleagues at fueling stations, filling vehicles with E85 and biodiesel and discussing the benefits of using those fuels in Minnesota. In 2010, TC4 was instrumental in the opening of 31 public E85 fueling stations and helped prepare Minnesota for the arrival of electric vehicles. Thurstin's innovative work and ideas have made TC4 an exceptionally successful and effective coalition.

Kellie Walsh is a trailblazer in the deployment of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. She took the reins of the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition in 2002, and her stellar accomplishments have solidified her reputation as a transportation leader in Indiana and beyond. Walsh spearheaded the Interstate 65 Biofuels Corridor project, which established a continuous network of E85 and biodiesel fueling stations stretching from Gary, Indiana, to Mobile, Alabama. The coalition is actively expanding natural gas fueling infrastructure throughout Indiana and managing a Recovery Act project to place more than 300 propane vehicles on the road, in partnership with the Indiana Department of Transportation. Walsh's pioneering work has garnered praise from U.S. Senator Richard Lugar and Indiana Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman.

Walsh is highly respected among her Clean Cities peers, to whom she provides guidance on coalition management, project development, networking, and cultivating strong bases of stakeholders.

Walsh received the Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year Award in 2006, the Midwest Region Award in 2005, and the Mentor of the Year Award in 2009.